title: CT of inflation-fixed lungs: wedge-shaped density and vascular sign in the diagnosis of infarction.
abstract: To evaluate the role of high resolution CT (HRCT) in the diagnosis of pulmonary infarcts, we selected 83 postmortem lung specimens with subpleural densities from a collection of 180 lungs that had been prepared by a method which allows for a direct radiologic-pathologic correlation. Twelve of the lungs had pulmonary infarcts and 71 lungs had other disorders that had produced a subpleural shadow on HRCT. Lungs were evaluated for the presence of wedge-shaped pleural-based densities and for the presence of an associated vascular sign. There was no significant difference in the incidence of wedge-shaped densities on HRCT between lungs with pulmonary infarcts and lungs with pulmonary hemorrhage, pneumonia, tumor, or edema (p greater than 0.05). A vascular sign associated with a subpleural density was, however, more common (p less than 0.01) in lungs with pulmonary infarcts. We suggest that the vascular sign associated with a wedge-shaped density may be of importance in diagnosing pulmonary infarcts by HRCT.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, MD.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ren
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Kuhlman
authors.forename: R H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Hruban
authors.forename: E K
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Fishman
authors.forename: P S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Wheeler
authors.forename: G M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Hutchins
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D011655:Pulmonary Embolism / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods